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03/22/2017 06:00 PM ISAW Lecture Hall

Rostovtzeff Lecture Series Egyptian versus Greek in Late Antique Egypt: The Struggle of Coptic for an Official Status, I

An Egyptian Exception?

Jean-Luc Fournet

During the first three centuries of its history, Coptic, the final stage of the Egyptian language written with Greek letters, was only used for literary purposes and private correspondence but not for contracts between individuals, documents sent by individuals to the authorities, or internal administrative communication—areas in which the Greek language had a monopoly. This situation is unique in comparison with what is observed in other provinces of the Roman Empire and cannot be explained by a legal prohibition.
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